How to build a better LinkedIn profile

Last month, we took a look at the benefits of LinkedIn for knowledge-sharing, networking, recruitment and referrals. But there’s no point in having a profile if it’s not up to scratch.

Rather than an afterthought, we encourage our clients to see LinkedIn as an important tool in their marketing suite. A lacklustre profile is a missed opportunity but, by investing a little bit of time and following a few steps, you can maximise your profile.

Choose the right profile picture

As we know, first impressions count. On LinkedIn, your profile picture is your first introduction, so make it count, keep it professional and ‘on-brand’. This means no selfies, no party shots with drink in hand and no shots taken at a distance – your face should make up the majority of the profile picture space. Your photo should also be recent and reflect you in your natural work mode. For example, if you wouldn’t usually wear a suit to work, then there’s no need to wear one for your profile shot.

And if you’ve got multiple staff on LinkedIn, and you haven’t already done so, it’s worth investing in professional photos to ensure quality and consistency across your staff profiles.

Include a background image

You can also make your profile stand out by including a background image. Despite this being a free and user-friendly feature, it’s one not readily utilised by our clients. As designers, the option to include a background image is a no-brainer, providing free real estate to showcase your latest work or key project.

Don’t skip over your summary

Along with the portrait and background image, the summary section is prime real estate at the start of your profile that is often overlooked, so don’t leave it blank. Yes, crafting your own bio can be tricky, but the purpose of LinkedIn is to invite people to connect, so you need to tell them a little about yourself and your experience. Avoid making potential connections scroll through and decipher your work history. Instead, use your summary to tell them what you want them to know up front.

Beef up your experience with some detail

You can easily add some weight to your profile by adding in a bit of background under your work history. Simply putting your role, the company and duration of employment doesn’t give much insight. Consider listing key projects, milestones, awards and achievements during your time, and utilise the options to add in links or media attachments to further bulk up your work history. And if your past employer has a company page, ensure you are linked to it.

Share news and regular updates

Last, but certainly not least, you need to regularly share any relevant news, articles or updates with your LinkedIn network. Just as you would share news across Instagram or Facebook, share it across LinkedIn as well. This not only helps keep your profile up-to-date and active, but it helps people find your business and generates traffic back to your website, boosting your page rank and making you easier to find on Google.

Key takeaways

Invest in a good picture. People like visuals on your profile and your professional photo is the most important one. And don’t forget to add a background image.

The summary section is prime real estate on your profile, so make the most of it.

Beef up your experience with key achievements, including any awards and links to media and projects.